Synergus chinensis, Melika & Ács & Bechtold, 2004

Melika, G., Ács, Z. & Bechtold, M., 2004, New Species Of Cynipid Inquilines From China (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 50 (4), pp. 319-336 : 321-325

Synergus chinensis sp. n.

( Figs 1–9 )

Description – Female. Head dark brown to reddish, except interocellar area and occiput; antenna light brown to yellow, with darker distal flagellomeres; scutum and scutellum always black, pronotum laterally, mesopleuron, metascutellum and propodeum dark, red brown, tegula light brown; wing veins light yellow; legs light brown to yellow, with darker coxae; metasoma uniformly red brown. Head from above 2.6 times as wide as long, 1.3 times as broad as high and subquadrate in front view, broader than thorax; gena slightly broadened behind eye ( Figs 1–2 ); POL 2.0 times as long as OOL, OOL equal or only very slightly longer than diameter of lateral ocellus; vertex, interocellar area and occiput dull rugouse, frons rugous with deep punctures, frontal carinae strong reaching lateral ocelli; lower face and gena with strong striae irradiating from clypeus to compound eye and antennal socket; malar space 0.6 times as long as height of eye ( Figs 1–2 ). Antenna 14-segmented, F1 2.0 times as long as pedicel and 1.3 times as long as F2 ( Fig. 5 ). Mesosoma 1.2–1.4 times as long as high in lateral view ( Fig. 3 ), pronotum dull rugose, with strong lateral pronotal carina; scutum subquadrate from above, nearly as long as broad, with strong transverse rugae, complete in anterior 1/3 and interrupted posteriorly, interspaces between rugae coriaceous; notauli deep, complete; median scutellar line deep reaching to ¾ or more of scutum ( Fig. 4 ). Mesopleuron with strong transverse striae ( Fig. 3 ). Scutellum slightly longer than broad, dull rugose, scutellar foveae with coriaceous bottom, separated by a distinct carina ( Fig. 4 ). Propodeum delicately coriaceous, lateral propodeal carinae straight, parallel, central area delicately coriaceous to smooth. Fore wing with pale yelllow veins, margin ciliate; radial cell closed, 3.1 times as long as broad, areolet distinct, closed, second abscissa of Rs only slightly curved or nearly straight ( Fig. 7 ). Tarsal claws with basal lobe ( Fig. 8 ). Metasomal terga 2+3 with posterior minute punctures, limited to small apical dorsal patch ( Fig. 9 ). Length 2.1–3.5 mm.

Male. Similar, but with light yellow lower face; antenna 15-segmented, F1 curved, expanded apically, F1 1.6 times as long as F2 ( Fig. 6 ).

Type material – Holotype female: “ CHINA, Beijing Province, Mentougou District, 150 km NW of Beijing, 28.VII.2002; leg. G. Melika ”, “ Xiaolongmen Station , 1095 m a.s.l.; 39°59220”; 115°31.479, from Quercus sp. ”, “ex acorn gall, Andricus sp.1 ., em. 21.VIII.2002 ”, and “ HOLOTYPE female. Synergus chinensis Melika, Ács & Bechtold , desig. G. Melika 2003”. 33 female and 16 male paratypes from the same collecting site: 27 female and 12 male paratypes with the third label “ex acorn gall, Andricus sp. 1 , em. 21.VIII.2002 ”, 1 female and 3 male paratypes with the third label “ex leaf gall, Andricus sp. 2 , em. 03.IX.2002 ”; 5 female and 1 male paratypes with the third label “ex bud gall, Andricus sp. 3 , em. 15.VIII.2002 ”.

Holotype, 2 female and 2 male paratypes in the HNHM, Budapest, Hungary; 4 female and 4 male paratypes in the Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, China; 21 female and 6 male paratypes in the collection of the Systematic Parasitoid Laboratory, Kőszeg, Hungary.

Etymology – The species is named after the country, China, where it was collected.

Host cynipid galls – This species was reared from galls of three different unidentified, probably unknown, new species: “ Andricus sp. 1 ” – monolocular galls on acorns, on Quercus sp. (Fig. 10). In the galls, attacked by inquilines, a large number of inquiline larval chambers can be found in the gall parenchyma. “ Andricus sp. 2 ” – small rounded leaf galls, underside of leaves, collected from unknown species of oaks (Fig. 11). The shape, size and inner structure of the gall is quite like Cynips quercus (FOURCROY, 1785), asexual galls. No doubts, that it is an Andricus species – we reared also adult gall wasps from these galls. “ Andricus sp. 3 ” – unknown bud gall, collected from Quercus sp. (Fig. 12), its shape and size like that of European well-known and common Andricus coriarius (HARTIG, 1843) galls.

Diagnosis – Closely related to a very common, widely distributed Western Palaearctic species, Synergus gallaepomiformis (BOYER DES FONSCOLOMBES, 1832) , especially the first spring generation, which usually emerges from the sexual galls of Biorhiza pallida (OLIVIER, 1791) . In S. chinensis the head from above is 2.6 times as broad as long; the sculpture of the vertex and frons is dull rugose, frontal carinae are not clearly defined, sometimes branching and do not reach lat-

Figs 10–12. Andricus galls. 10 = A. sp. 1, 11 = A. sp. 2, 12 = A. sp. 3

eral ocelli ( Fig. 2 ); OOL equal or only very slightly longer than diameter of lateral ocellus; F1 of female not more than 1.3 times as long as F2 ( Fig. 5 ), F1 of male is strongly expanded apically ( Fig. 6 ); the sculpture of the scutum is more dull, with strong transverse rugae ( Fig. 4 ); the apical patch with distinct punctures on the female terga 2+3 is larger, punctures are distinct ( Fig. 9 ). In S. gallaepomiformis the head from above is 2.3 as wide as long; the sculpture of the vertex and frons is delicate, frontal carinae are distinct, not branching; OOL nearly twice as long as the diameter of the lateral ocellus ( Figs 13–14 ); F1 of the female not more than 1.5 times as long as F2 (Fig. 16), F1 of the male is weakly expanded apically (Fig. 17); the sculpture of the scutum much more delicate ( Fig. 15 ); the apical patch with very minute punctures on the female terga 2+3 is small, sometimes punctures are indistinct (Fig. 18).

Distribution – China, Beijing Province, Mentougou District, 150 km NW of Beijing, Xiaolongmen Station, 1095 m a.s.l.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Synergus chinensis sp.n., female: 1 = head, front view, 2 = head, dorsal view, 3 = mesosoma, lateral view, 4 = mesosoma, dorsal view

Figs 5–9. Synergus chinensis sp. n.: 5 = antenna, female, 6 = antenna, male, 7 = fore wing, female, 8 = tarsal claw, female, 9 = gaster, lateral view, female

Figs 13–15. Synergus gallaepomiformis sp. n.: 13 = head, front view, female, 14 = head, dorsal view, female, 15 = mesosoma, dorsal view, female